Unintended Consequences
by DeisuiNeko
Summary: As the Fourth Shinobi War comes to a close choices are made that at the time seemed for the best, but sometimes actions have unintended consequences. I will be adding more to the summary a little later.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I started working on this story back after Naruto issue #650, but put the whole thing on hold when I started writing my fanfic "Snow Angels" which was originally written as a one shot. I had some requests to continue that story and so I did, but with things quickly accelerating in the real storyline I decided it was now or never to go ahead and start putting this story out.**

**Since some things have changed since I originally plotted out the story arc and I don't feel like going back a rewriting an entire notebook of plot notes please consider this a slightly AU storyline. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to anything in the Naruto-verse**

Summary: As the Fourth Shinobi War comes to a close choices are made that at the time seemed for the best, but sometimes actions have unintended consequences.

As the final act in the conflict with Madara Uchiha came to an end, the once teammates and rivals, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were able to stop Madara from making his vision for the world come true. Unfortunately, the ten-tailed beast had reached a critical level with the Eye of the Moon Plan and could only be broken by siphoning off the chakra and expelling it elsewhere. Naruto and Sasuke being bloodline descendants of the two parts of the Sage of the Six Path, the body and the eye were able to bond together and redirect the massive amount of chakra needed to stop the plan. Naruto had looked down at the battlefield and saw the bodies of allies and friends alike and his heart wept to see all of those lives lost and wanted nothing more than for all of them to be alive and have a chance to live out their lives in peace. Sasuke, the fire of vengeance all but burned out, looked across the battlefield and felt nothing but emptiness. Naruto saw the look in his friend's face and knew what Sasuke desired above anything else, so he reached out to his friend and shared through their connection his plan to fix what had happened.

In a bright flash of massive chakra the ten tailed beast's body was returned to the moon and it's chakra once again separated back into the nine biju, but the act of being used to initiate the Eye of the Moon Plan and then their chakra being diverted to fulfill Naruto's plan drained the biju and left them with only a fraction of their previous power. It would be years before they would be strong enough again and thankfully it would be decades, maybe centuries, before anyone could even attempt Eye of the Moon again. Most of the nine had scattered when separated while Shukaku hovered near Gaara and Gyuki along with Kurama stayed with Bee and Naruto respectively.

Once the jutsu was completed Naruto was hailed as the hero of the war who had returned their lost allies to life, like he had done after the Pain attack on Kohana. Sasuke was treated as an assistant to Naruto and not as an integral part of what had been done to save so many lives. Naruto, who could feel Sasuke's anger at having his contribution to the war pushed back to a minor role, did his best to point out that none of this would have been possible if Sasuke had not helped by reviving the dead Hokages and it was their teamwork that finally defeated Madara and made the final jutsu possible.

This praise from Naruto only seemed to fuel Sasuke's frustration because he did not want the looser, who had always been following him around as children, taking pity on him and throwing him scraps. There were only three others who saw what was going on: Sakura, Kakashi and Shikamaru. Shikamaru who's tactical mind missed no details quickly saw and filed away what he was seeing as a possible future problem for the Leaf Village. Kakashi recognizing the signs of anger and frustration in his former student stepped forward and gave Sasuke a smile and offered him praise on how far he had progressed since the old days as part of Team 7. This praise did seem to sooth some of the young man's ire at being brushed aside, but that was short lived as all of the gathered ninja from the allied shinobi forces began chanting Naruto, Naruto, Naruto.

Even the five Kage's came forward and gave their tokens of respect. Ay the Fourth Raikage flanked by Bee came forth and gave Naruto a fist bump while Bee made a rap about their victory. Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, floated forward and offered the young man a nod of respect. Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, stepped forward and offered his hand in friendship which Naruto took happily and pulled the shocked leader of the Sand Village closer and pats him on the back. Naruto was in shock when Mei, the Fifth Mizukage, steppped forward struck a seductive pose and offered him the chance to become her consort and solidify the good relations between the Leaf Village and the Bloody Mist Village. He was saved from a potential diplomatic incident by Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, when she stepped forward and gave the young man a warm motherly embrace and looked into his face and congratulated him, which he said "Thanks Granny Tsunade" and gave her one of his famous fox smiles.

Sakura as usual was staring at Sasuke while all of this went on and saw her chance to approach him and offer her thanks in returning and helping save the day. "S-S-Sasuke-kun, thank you coming and helping. Without you there we could not have stopped Madara." She blushes and starts touching her fingertips together.

'What is wrong with you?'Yells her inner voice, 'You are acting like that weakling Hinata and you know Sasuke-kun hates weakness stand up straight and act like the strong woman he will want.'

Sasuke was about to give her a dismissive comment and send her away when he notices how Naruto's eyes was on her the whole time as she approached. It was so easy to see that all Naruto really wanted and needed was for Sakura to come forward and acknowledge him and all other praise was secondary to this desire.

He turns and starts listening to the pink-haired girl's praise with more attention than he ever had before which made her start to blush and look away, when for the first time she saw genuine interest in her childhood crushes face. As she stood there trying not to shake he steps closer and wraps he calloused hands around her fidgeting fingers. With a slight smile he looks into her eyes and says, "Thank you Sakura, I appreciate your praise more than I can express. I had not realized till this moment how much I have missed hearing your voice." He pulls her closer and wraps his arms around her in an unexpected embrace and casts a sidelong glance towards his blonde haired teammate.

Sakura at first is stunned by this unexpected change in her childhood crush, but she quickly recovers and her eyes begin to glisten with tears. Then a realization hits _her, 'What about Naruto?' she_ asks herself and glances over to look at her friend and teammate.

Sakura's eyes were not the only ones looking towards the young blonde shinobi not knowing what to expect. Many of those gathered around knew of his love for the pink-haired girl being embraced by the outlaw, who not too long ago attacked the five Hokage's conference and cost the Raikage an arm. But Naruto just looks over at his rival, and the girl he has loved most of his life, and gives them one of his famous fox grins.

Sakura smiles back at Naruto, her eyes brimming with happy tears, and wraps her arms around Sasuke returning the unexpected hug while many of their friends begin to cheer.

Not everyone was fooled by Naruto's smile though. Hinata Hyuga has spent most of her life watching the young shinobi while they grew up and knows every subtle nuance to his facial expressions. She could see in his eyes behind that big smile the heartache and his very soul crying out in pain. Her heart was breaking to see him hurting so much and she wants to reach out and comfort him till the tears he refuses to shed were gone.

'Good pink-haired tramp will finally be out of his life and he will see that there is only one person who can truly love him.' She looks about for a moment before she realizes that the voice, so filled with frustration, came from within her own heart. She blushes and puts a hand to her mouth hoping that she had not said such harsh words out loud. She really does like and admire Sakura for her strength and owes her a great deal for saving Naruto's life, so how could she think such harsh things about her?

A hand upon her shoulder pulls her out of introspection and she turns to see a familiar pair of pale eyes looking deeply into her own. "Neji, but you were killed?" It took her a few moments to remember that as the Shinju collapsed and separated back into the nine tailed beasts again that all those killed in the last few days stood up again as if nothing had ever happened.

Neji nodded, "It was Naruto, I was on the other side talking with my father when I heard him calling out my name. He told me to get up and that the Hyuuga clan would never change that stupid rule if I laid there on the ground." He looks around and then back to his cousin, "So, here I am."

She buries her face in his shoulder and lets the tears flow. All of the raw emotions from seeing friends and allies die, the high emotions of the victory and now seeing her cousin back from the dead, finally comes to a boil and she can no longer hold them back.

Neji leans his head down and whispers in her ear, "We can celebrate once we get home, right now he needs you. He needs you there more than anyone else. He needs your comfort and he should be the one comforting you Hinata."

He gives his cousin a gentle shove that catches her by surprise and she stumbles about off balance. Her left foot steps on one of the many loose stones scattered about the battlefield and she begins to fall. Just before her butt would have painfully sat down on the broken ground a pair of strong arms catches her. In panic she wraps her arms around the neck of her rescuer and looks up into a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Are you okay Hinata?" asks Naruto.

'He feels so warm.' She thinks to herself and her cheeks begin to burn brightly as a blush washes over her face and everything starts to go dark. A voice somewhere deep inside her starts screaming at her. 'Oh no you don't, not when we are finally in his arms, wake up dammit and say something!'

"Y-Y-Yes, I think I tripped on a rock or something." she says as her arms tighten around his neck and she presses her face against his shoulder.

Naruto smiles down at the girl in his arms and slowly the two of them realize that the noise, particularly the nearby voices, around them have begun to ebb. As one they look up from each other to see many of the nearby faces looking at them, some smiling and others in mild surprise. As he gently lets her slide out of his arms and back onto her feet he begins to chuckle nervously and scratch the back of his head. "I'm glad you are not hurt Hinata. Somebody should really clean up around here before somebody trips and gets hurt."

Hinata, head bowed and index fingers touching says, "I'm sorry for being so clumsy, I just need to look where I am going."

Ino, Tenten, and Kiba just look at Naruto with a tear drop expression while Shino and Shikamaru just look at the ground in embarrassment for their friends.

The moment was saved by Neji, who again came to Hinata's aid, by walking out of the crowd and stepping up to Naruto who just stares in disbelief for a moment before grabbing the Hyuuga shinobi by the shoulders and begins to jump up and down in absolute joy. The joy is soon magnified as Rock Lee and Tenten rush in and join in the celebration.

Nearby, Guy tears running down his face elbows Kakashi, "Look at that display of youthful happiness; it almost makes the heart weep with joy." He holds out an arm and gives the members of Team Guy his signature, nice guy pose.

The celebration in Naruto's vicinity quiets down as the reanimated forms of the first four Hokages approach the crowd gathered around the Leaf Village shinobi. As one they bow to Naruto and then also to Sasuke, though the second Hokage seems to bow a little less the second time. Their bow was returned by all those gathered, but to be honest Sasuke's bow would have been more of a nod than a bow if anyone had really been paying attention.

Naruto was the first to break the silence he stepped forward and wrapped his father in a long overdue embrace. Everyone nearby let out a cheer and the other remaining Hokage began to disperse. The First and Second Hokages, and brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama Senju respectively, walk over to talk with Tsunade and see exactly what sort of person their lineage had produced. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, steps up to Kakakshi and Guy and was soon surrounded by nearly all of the Leaf Shinobi to get one last chance to see the man who led and protected the village for so long.

Minato, the Fourth Hokage, pulled his son away for a little private chat and gestured to Sai to come closer and winks at the nearby Hinata who is hovering nearby. His roguish wink makes her pale skin turn crimson.

Sai holds out a scroll to Minato who takes it and partially opens it to reveal a complex looking seal. "I'm sorry that your mother and I were only able to leave you a name and a burden. Inside this scroll I wrote a summoning circle that will give you access to something that your mother and I had left behind and meant to give you when you were old enough, but there was no time there at the end to pass it along." Pointing at the center of the summoning circle, "Cut yourself and sign this so that only you will be able to use this Fuinjutsu."

Naruto bites his thumb kneels down and spreads his blood across the writing which glows for a moment then the blood shifts and forms the Uzumaki symbol in the center of the seal in bright red.

"Follow the instructions I have written on your friend's scroll and guard well what we left behind." He leans closer to whisper in his son's ear, "Nice girl, and a Hyuga to boot, are you two seeing each other? I notice she can't seem to keep her eyes off of you"

Naruto glows bright red and struggles for a response. His father smirks and asks, "Or is there something between you and that pink-haired girl you can't seem to stop looking at when you think nobody else is watching?"

In shock Naruto leans backwards and ends up sitting with a thump on the rocky ground.

Minato stands with a laugh and holds out a hand to help his son stand. "I see that you are doing just fine. You mother would have been very proud."

Naruto's face goes from red to deathly white, "Father, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I wished for everyone who was killed in the war to still be alive. I could have brought you and mother back too…I'm sorry." His eyes begin to tear up at what might have been."

Minato held up his one remaining hand to silence his son. "No, you did the right thing son."

The other three reanimated Hokages approach Minato. "He's right my boy." says the Third, "We are the past and time has moved on without us and we should only be memories now."

"The dead should just stay that way. I learned that long ago and now this age has had to learn that lesson again." injected the Second Hokage.

"But most of the ones they revived today are different brother." The First Hokage puts his hand upon his sibling's shoulder. "Only their comrades have had time to grieve and very little of that due to the intensity of this war. Their families will not have to know the suffering of loss because of this young man's actions. Is it not the grief of loss and desire for revenge that fans the flames of hatred and perpetuates conflict?" Small pieces begin to flake off of the First Hokage.

"The past should stay where it belongs, so guard well against this temptation. We have done what we can to eliminate my old mistake." The Second Hokage also begins to break apart.

The Third Hokage's body begins to disintegrate as well. "As I look upon all of you here I see that my time as Hokage was not a failure and I can go with few regrets."

Minato looks at his son and smiles as his body begins to disintegrate. "I cannot imagine had we lived to raise you that Kushina and I could have raised a better man than I saw today." He waves one last time. "Farewell Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, my son." The first four Hokages dissipate and then they are no more than memories again.

With the last of the reanimated shinobi gone the Fourth Shinobi World War came to a close. 

FLASHBACK

As the dust settled and Madara had been defeated the four reanimated Hokages surround Orochimaru.

"Well, well. That did not take you long." Orochimaru smiles at the four men he had summoned for Sasuke. He raises his hands, "So what now, are you going to eliminate the next threat to the Leaf Village while you are still around?"

"It is tempting, but Minato believes that your aid in this war has shown a real maturity." says Tobimara. "But that jutsu of mine was sealed away, and needs to be sealed away again, so that we can finally rest in peace." He takes a step forward but freezes.

"Well, I can't just let that happen now can I? I think it is time for all of you to leave." Orochimaru raises his hand to make the seal to dismiss the jutsu, but his own hands stop in mid-motion.

"Incorporating my cells into your body was a neat trick, but you made one mistake. I can control those cells as well." Hashirama steps up and places a hand on the white skinned shinobi and the rest of the Hokage are released.

Tobimara disappears and returns quickly with Ino Yamanaka and Sai who unravels a scroll and along with Minato begins writing as Sarutobi begins forming signs. "Most likely you have other copies of yourself hidden elsewhere just in case you died in the fighting so killing you would be no more than a nuisance. Minato has come up with a better solution. It would be less painful for you if you do not resist."

Ino while being bolstered by Tobimara focused Orochimaru's mind on the knowledge of Impure World Reincarnation while Minato and Sarutobi withdrew it out of his mind and into the scroll. The shock leaves Orochimaru gasping on the ground.

As the Hokages and the two young shinobi start walking away Hashirama speaks over his shoulder, "The knowledge was not only pulled from your physical form, but your spiritual connection to all your copies as well. It would have been easy for the four of us to have ended every copy you have and ended you as a threat forever, but Saratobi and Namikaze both felt that you deserved a second chance after helping out with the war, but know this, if you retrieve this jutsu ever again and summon us we will kill you without hesitation, given the chance."

END FLASHBACK

The celebration continues after the Four Hokages disintegrate. Kakashi watching it all feels drained from all of the emotional turmoil that he had went through that day finding out that his childhood friend and teammate had been an integral part of the war and was responsible in many ways for his old sensei's death. He separates himself from the celebration and leans against a bolder trying to come to grips with everything that had happened. He is pulled out of his thoughts when a boy, probably thirteen years of age, steps up and starts talking to him.

"Excuse me sir, I am a little confused of how I got here or even where I am at the moment. You look a lot like my friend Kakashi's dad, and I was wondering if you were a relative of his and knew if Kakashi was around?" The boy was wearing goggles and has spiky black hair. The jacket and pants he was wearing were dark blue trimmed in orange.

Kakashi freezes as he looks at the young body of his childhood friend and teammate. He could not believe what he is seeing or how it even came to be possible and then it dawns on him how and who had made this possible. He looked across the battlefield and sees amongst the celebrating crowd and pair of bright blues eyes staring right back at him. Naruto gives him a smirk and his eyes seem to say, 'Everyone deserves a second chance.'

Kakashi puts his hands on Obito's shoulders and kneels down to look him in the face. "It's okay Obito, I'll do my best to explain everything. It will just take some time, okay."

Obito, confused at the familiar way this strange man was talking to him just nodded. "Okay, but do you know where Rin is? I've been looking for her too and I can't find her anywhere."

Kakashi just sighs and was about to tell Obito a lie when a small voice catches his attention. "Obito, is that you?" They both looked up to see a young girl with brown hair and eyes, running towards them. As Obito and Rin embraced in a friendly hug in front of him Kakashi looks up again towards Naruto who gives a goofy grin and shrugges. Kakashi gave his old student a nod of thanks before reaching down and wrapping an arm around each of his old friends and gives them a crushing hug.

Obito tries to protest but could not break from Kakashi's grip. "Hey you old creep let go of me, and Rin too."

When Kakashi stands up Rin gasps, "Kakashi, is that you? But you are… I mean you have grown up, what has happened."

"It is going to take some time to explain everything so why don't we go somewhere quiet and I will do my best, okay." He leads them away and tells them a tale of friendships and heartbreak.


	2. Chapter 2: Who are you?

A/N: Well the second chapter is finally here. This story will have longer waits between updates as I am putting most of my focus and energy to writing Snow Angels. Also, just a reminder this is a Drama/Romance fic. I needed a couple of chapters to get things set rather than do endless flashbacks, not that there still won't be an occasional flashback, before moving into the heart of the story I want to write. This is an M-rated fic and later chapters will have lemons of one degree or another, so you have been warned.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the Naruto brand in any way. I am just a fan.

"Are you sure that it was the traitor Uchiha Saskue that you saw?" Konohamaru asks the young academy student. The young boy had been organized by Konohamaru along with most of the other young students as an additional security force while most of the village's shinobi were off fighting in the war.

"Yes sir, I studied all of the wanted posters you assigned us to memorize. I am absolutely positive that it was the traitor along with his master Orochimaru poking around in the old Uchiha compound. There were two other guys with them; one carried a huge sword while the other guy was fairly big with orange spiky hair." The young boy tries to puff up his chest proudly, but unfortunately, it only makes him look comical to the assembled genin. "I watched the outside of the place for a little while and then as soon as I saw them coming out with four more guys that looked a lot like the Hokages on the mountain I came looking for your team to report what I saw."

Konohamaru looks over at Udon and Moegi and nods. "Okay, here is the plan, we are going to scout out the old Uchiha compound and confirm what Dario has reported and see what they are up too. These guys have both fought the boss and are way out of our league, if we spot them I will stay behind while Udon, you are to go to the defense force and Moegi you will go to the ANBU to report what we have found." Both of his teammates hesitantly nod in agreement. "Dario, go back to the academy and if you do not hear from us within an hour report everything to the defense force." The boy nods and runs off towards the academy. "Alright we are going to go through the center of the remains of the old Uchiha compound and make our way back to the old temple where Dario last saw them." Once his two teammates nod in agreement they head off to their destination.

As they make their way through the streets surrounded by the rundown remains of the old Uchiha compound the three young genin cannot help but feel uneasy. Most villagers believe that the ghosts of the murdered Uchiha clan still haunt these streets and the young genin's nerves were on edge as every sound or whisper of wind would startle them. Udon was about to run away when Konohamaru held up his hand and pointed towards their destination. He points to a nearby building and signals that they will go and take cover there to observe.

Konohamaru peers through the remains of an old window at the old temple Dario had last seen the two traitors and their companions. He pulls his head back and shakes it in frustration. "I can't see anything. I wish we had stopped and asked Hanabi to come along, her byakugan would have been really helpful right now."

Udon, seeing a chance to get away from the haunted compound offers to go find the Hyuga girl and bring her back with him. Konohamaru just shakes his head. "Nah, by the time you are back with her it will be all over one way or another. They are probably no longer inside and could be anywhere so we need to stay together until we find out what is going on."

"What was that?" Moegi asks as she points towards the back of the house where they had all just heard a groan followed by the sounds of something moving. The three young shinobi draw their kunai and walk towards the back of the house to investigate. As they round a corner and peer into what must have once been a bedroom they see a middle-aged woman trying to dig into some rubble where another person can be seen partially buried. She must have sensed something because she suddenly turns towards them and her expression quickly goes from surprise to fierce protectiveness as her eyes change. One moment her eyes were a dark smoky color and the next Konohamaru and his friends were staring at a pair a sharingan eyes.

Confused and just more than a little afraid the trio backs out into the hall and Udon lets out a terrified scream when someone grabs his shoulder from behind. They all turn to see a man standing there with those same terrible eyes looking down upon them and grabbing onto Udon's shoulder with a vise like grip.

Without a moment's hesitation Konohamaru leaps up over Udon and punches the man just under his chin and yells. "Ambush. Moego, Udon you know your assignments so go." As Udon scurries away with Moegi, Konohamaru takes another swing at the intruder but his attack is deflected this time.

Konohamaru tumbles back out of the man's reach and calls up two shadow clones. One clone rushes forward while the other helps him form a rasengan. The clone is easily dispatched by the stranger and just as Konohamaru is about to finish the rasengan he is attacked from behind by the woman from the other room with a piece of rubble. While the attack did not cause any real damage it did knock him off balance and cause him to stumble and destroy a nearby wall with his rasengan. He took the opportunity to flee as part of the weakened roof began to fall around them.

When he reaches the outside street Konohamaru starts running towards the main part of the city to hopefully catch up with his teammates. 'I hope I bought them enough time to get away.' His hopes are dashed as people, mostly dressed as if they had just woken up from sleeping are coming out of the surrounding houses and at the far end of the street near the main entrance his heart drops. Moegi and Udon are both laying on the ground. A teenage boy not much older than they are with sharingan eyes is standing over his two friends.

Konohamaru stops in front of the stranger and shakes his fist at the boy. "You had better not have hurt them or I am going to make you pay, believe it."

"Your friends are only unconscious intruder. This is Uchiha property who are you and…" The boy looks around at the dilapidated buildings for a moment before returning his gaze to Konohamaru. "What has happened to the village?"

"My name is Sarutobi Konohamaru and who are you and why are you here in the Uchiha ghost town? Are you planning an attack on the village while the rest of the adults are off fighting in the war?" Konohamaru looks around trying not to hide his growing nervousness as more and more people with those same strange eyes keep coming out of the surrounding buildings and form a circle around him and the strange boy standing over his friends.

The stranger looks about and the look of unease he has about what the boy said about war and Uchiha ghost town is shared by all of those nearby who heard the exchange. "My name is Uchiha Itachi and I think that you need to tell me more about what is going on in the village."

THREE MONTHS LATER

The village has been in a state of adjustment since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. The reappearance of the entire Uchiha clan years after they had been massacred threw the entire village into a panic and nearly caused another war inside the village.

The Uchiha awoke at the very spots where they were killed and the last thing most of them remembered was that it was nighttime, a sudden sharp pain, and then it was midday. Also, a portion of the old Uchiha compound had been destroyed during Pain's attack and had been built over in the reconstruction. The sections that had not been destroyed were left to rot as a small ghost town within the city out of respect and fear of the spirits of the dead Uchiha clan. So some of the revived clan found themselves standing in the middle of strange home with no idea how they got there and the current residents of the home were no less surprised.

Fortunately, nobody was killed during the disruption, but with most of the village's fighting force at war the Uchiha had little difficulty in defending themselves from the current village defense force. Once the elders of the Uchiha had gathered their composure and calmed their people they met with the village elders, who remembered the now revived member of the Uchiha, and ranking members of the defense force to discuss the new situation. While not completely trusting the previously dead members of their village, the entire village remembered the miraculous return of their dead after Naruto had defeated Pain and knew that anything was possible lately when Uzumaki Naruto might be involved. Provisions and living accommodations were made for everyone until the Hokage could be contacted for further instructions.

Once the story of that fateful night was explained, Itachi Uchiha, who had appeared as well in the village at the same age as when he committed his crimes, was placed under arrest. He gave no resistance to being locked away, because just before he woke up in the middle of the street he was about to enter the family compound intent on carrying out his mission for the safety of the entire Leaf Village. His only question before entering the high security cell was about his little brother, was Sasuke okay? He was told that Sasuke had gone rogue a few years ago to join Orochimaru and had recently attacked the Five Kage Summit and was now a wanted criminal much like he is now. Itachi just hung his head in shame and walked himself to the ANBU holding cell without another word.

Now three months after the end of the war, and the reappearance of the Uchiha clan, Tsunade Senju, the Fifth Hokage of the Leaf Village, is holding a summit of all of the clans and their representatives to discuss the return of the Uchiha clan and their fate within the village. The Uchiha were bristling at being held in limbo in their own village, that they had helped to found, but the end of the war called for new meetings and agreements between the Five Kages about the future between the villages and the kingdoms that they serve. The Daimyos had to be consulted and in a few cases convinced that the new cooperation between the five Kages was in the best interest of all nations. To be honest, the fact that all of this took only three months was nothing less than a miracle. Everyone knew that the peace so strongly fought for, mainly rested on the good relations between the Daimyos they serve.

The main testimonies came from Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Naruto Uzumaki who just before and during the war had contact with Madara Uchiha and Danzo Shimuza and heard their confessions of their involvement leading up to the fateful night Itachi Uchiha had murdered all but one of his powerful clan. As the clan elders heard the evidence of how over several years Danzo had manipulated information to put pressure on the already tenuous relationships that the Uchiha had with the rest of the village and pushed them towards rebellion for his own needs. The actual details of those needs were left only in the high level reports. In difference to Kakashi's old teammate, all those involved in giving testimony used the name Madara when talking about what happened, since Obito had been under the control of the old Uchiha when he was working against the village.

These testimonies had repercussions both good and bad because Naruto and Sasuke's testimony on how the Uchiha clan had returned left no doubt that the lost clan had returned. Unfortunately, this was the clan that was on the brink of open rebellion and was about to plunge the village into open war if Itachi had not killed them all. The Uchiha elders had to formally apologize for this and the entire clan had to swear an oath that such plans had been purged after the news about Madara and Danzo's involvement. Afterwards the vote held by the clan elders to reinstate the Uchiha clan to full status was unanimous.

Unfortunately, the knowledge that it was an Uchiha that had caused the Forth Shinobi World War and nearly destroyed the entire world could not be forgotten so easily. The specter of what the clan was capable of doing could not be so easily dispelled and would probably hang over the clan for generations as a badge of shame.

It was here at the conclusion of the vote that Sasuke Uchiha stood up and addressed the gathered council. "Honored elders since you are all gathered here I would like to formally present myself as the candidate for the position of the Sixth Hokage."

A hush fell over the entire room as elders looked to their entourage and then to the other elders in the room and finally to the current Hokage for a reaction to what they were all hearing. Except the Uchiha clan, which seemed to know that this was coming, everyone else in the room was surprised at this declaration.

The spell of unease was finally broken by a certain blonde haired ninja. "Forget it Sasuke, the position as the next Hokage is mine. If you would like to sit back and wait for the Seventh Hokage position that will be fine with me." Naruto who had been in the witness box along with Sasuke and Kakashi stood up and glared at his former teammate.

Sasuke just looked over to Naruto and calmly spoke. "What makes you think that the village would ever seriously consider a loser like up you for the position of Hokage? I see that the years have not taught you any wisdom. You are still the same hothead who let his mouth get ahead of his brain."

Naruto flushes with anger. "I learned something very important, something that you forgot. The village and its entire people are what is most important, not some childish vendetta. When Pain attacked this village it was me and everyone here who put their lives on the line to stop him." His eyes narrow as his tries to stare Sasuke down. "A lot of good people nearly died that day while you were off playing with Orochimaru."

Those nearby could see the change is Sasuke's expression at Naruto's accusation and they could see the activation of his Sharingan.

The potential fight was stopped when Lady Tsunade slammed her fist down upon the table she was sitting behind and shattered it to pieces. "That is enough both of you! Have you both forgotten that I am still in charge here and I will not have a meeting of the council break out into violence. Do I have to remind both you that you are still classified as genin and you think that you are ready to assume the role of Hokage when you have not even passed the chunin exams. Finally, Sasuke there is the small issue of your six month sentence in the ANBU prison you might want to focus on first, then we can talk about your chunin status."

At the mention of their continued genin status some murmurs and even a few chuckles could be heard amongst the gathered clans. This was quickly silenced by a glare from Tsunade that promised repercussions if she was interrupted again. For their part Naruto looked down clearly chastised, but Sasuke just glared back at the Hokage as if mere rankings were nothing to him.

Tsunade continued her speech. "As most of you know Kakashi was one of the Hokage candidates during my coma after the Pain incident. His candidacy for the position as the Sixth Hokage was never formally withdrawn."

At the mention of him still being a candidate for Hokage was mentioned Kakashi looked up from the book he was reading with a surprised look on his face. "Huh?"

"This council session is adjourned, am I understood." Lady Tsunade turns and leaves the council room without another word.

Sasuke turns and leaves without a second glance at Naruto and is quickly joined by Sakura, who had been there as an attendant for Tsunade, she gives Naruto a worried look before she leaves the room with Sasuke.

Naruto's rant at the retreating Sasuke is cut off when Kakashi stands up in front of Naruto and gives him an amused look that is a warning that even an enraged shinobi can understand. His anger is further subdued by the appearance of Hinata Hyuga who had joined the council meeting with her father as part of her training as a candidate for the leadership of the Hyuga clan. It seems after seeing his daughter in action during the war, Hiashi the current Hyuga clan leader, had second thoughts about dismissing his daughter as a viable leader for the clan. Both of his daughters Hinata, the elder, and Hanabi are vying as candidates for the position as the next clan leader.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" The concern in her voice is easily apparent and seems to calm the hot-headed youth down.

A little embarrassed at losing his temper in front of her and everyone else causes him to blush a little. "Yeah, Sasuke always could get under my skin and to be honest I seem to have the same effect on him. It is like the two of us are picking up right where we left off." He starts heading for the door. "I'm hungry, do you want to go get some ramen with me?"

She clasps her hands together to gain control of herself before answering. "Y-Y-Yes, I would like to have lunch with you."

They are walking out side by side when a voice calls out. "Hinata." The both turn to see Hiashi standing there glaring at her. "We need to go back and review today's meeting so I can see what you have learned."

Hanabi, who is standing at their father's side just gives her sister an obnoxious smile at Hinata's apparent disappointment.

HInata puts on the most defiant glare she can muster and looks towards her father. "Can this not wait till after lunch? I believe I will able to focus better after I have had something to eat."

"It's okay Hinata. I understand that you have obligations now that you are going to be the next leader of your clan and I don't want you to get into trouble because of me, we can have lunch the next time you are free." He gives her a broad grin that warms and saddens her heart at the same time. "You know I am easy to find at mealtime."

She gives her love a happy smile. "I would like that very much Naruto-kun." She reluctantly walks towards her waiting family.

Hiashi watches his daughter's defiance and does not allow his surprise show upon his face at seeing Hinata trying to assert herself, instead of cowering like she has done for most of her life. What a strange effect this clanless little brat has on his daughter and from the reports he has received from Hanabi and a reluctant Neji she may have romantic feelings towards the boy. 'At least the boy seems to be either oblivious to those feelings or they are not felt in return. The thoughts of the clan heiress, my daughter, being married to a clanless shinobi, no matter how powerful would be a stain upon the family's honor, so it would be best that the boy just keeps his distance.'

Later in the Hokage's office Tsunade is joined by Kakashi and Yamato. "Thank you both for coming so quickly to my summons and first I would like to apologize to you Kakashi for putting you on the spot back there. I know I promised you that I would not ask you to be the Sixth Hokage, but I needed to diffuse the situation quickly because those two were really about to start a fight right there in the council chambers." She shakes her head in disappointment and frustration. "I saw the damage those two did as children in the Valley of the End and if they were ever to go at it again like that the damage Pain did to the village would be a pothole in comparison."

She stands up and begins to pace the room. "What I am about to tell you never leaves this room." She knows both men and knows that she does not have to wait for an answer. "I was informed by some of the other Kages during our last summit about their concerns if an Uchiha was ever to become Hokage. Sasuke has made it plainly clear that he wants the position and to be blunt I was told that the new era of peace and cooperation between our villages was at stake, and if an Uchiha was ever lifted up to the level of Hokage that some of them would leave the alliance." They all knew that most of this was due to a certain hot-headed Raikage that had lost an arm due to Sasuke's actions at the Five Kage Summit just before the war.

"Add that to the fact that instead of just one Uchiha putting a bull's eye on the village we now have an entire clan's worth of targets drawing the attention of the entire shinobi world down on us now." She lifts up a document and then drops it angrily back onto the desk. "The daimyo himself has asked for a tally of every person in the village with the last name Uchiha. It is now the responsibility of the Hokage to keep exact tabs on their exact population and where they are at all times. No Uchiha is allowed to leave the village alone and each three man squad can only contain a single Uchiha." Tsunade clinches her fists in frustration so tightly the two men can hear her knuckles pop. "It's as if they are trying to force the Uchiha to rebel again and then give them an excuse to attack and rid the world of their existence."

She puts her head down and sighs deeply. "I know what those two did, they did from the heart, but we all may end up paying the price for their sentimentality. I have already started getting some reports that trade is down with the village as are mission requests. Some are already blaming this on the return of the Uchiha, not publically mind you, but whispers in the background have a tendency to fester into some terrible if left untreated. We cannot go out and tell people Itachi was ordered to kill the rest of his clan to prevent a civil war that was orchestrated in part by the man who nearly became the sixth Hokage. The knowledge of that kind of corruption at our core could damage our relations with the daimyo and the other nations, so Itachi and Sasuke at least publically may have to bear the burden of what they did for the rest of the lives. It was a big enough risk telling the clan heads the truth, but they had to know if we are to restore peace within the village."

She turns to look at the two men and they can see that the stress and weariness of the position she holds has begun to take a toll on her beautiful face, even with all of the medical jutsu she has used to stall times advances on her body. "You have both read the report from Naruto on the current status of his bijū and the others. The toll of the jutsu was immense on the bijū and their power is at a fraction of what they were before the war and Naruto says that he can only summon enough of the nine tail's chakra for a few minutes and even that is at a much reduced level than he had during the war. It really is a miracle that the bijū survived the jutsu and I believe that is due to Naruto himself subconsciously wishing that they would survive. To be honest it might have been best had they not survived so that we would never again have to worry about another Madara. Don't get me wrong, I know that kind of wish would have cost Naruto his life and I would not have wanted that result either."

"That takes us back to the Uchiha issue and to be blunt I really can't blame anyone for feeling that the return of the entire Uchiha clan is a bad thing. The entire world will soon know, if they don't already, about what a couple of Uchiha almost did and that the Leaf Village now has an entire clan of time bombs just waiting for something to trigger them. On the other hand I will not condone the outright slaughter of any clan as a few have called for in certain circles. The clan cannot and will not be shunned or in any way be treated as outsiders or this cycle of hate will never end and we will guarantee is another problem for future generations."

Shizune brings in some tea and snacks for the Hokage and the others. The concern on her face for her friend and teacher is clearly evident on her face and she gives both of the gathered junin a hopeful glance that they might be able to take some of the burden from her friend and teacher.

"Naruto's uncanny ability to bring out the best in people would normally be an asset in a situation like this. I think given time he could really heal the wounds between the Uchiha and the rest of the villages and show that there is a better path than what we have done before. I know that he has spent some time recently talking with Itachi and the two seem to have formed a friendship or sorts, but..."

"Sasuke." Injects Kakashi to give the Hokage a moment to reflect and take a bite of food.

Tsunade nods, "I know he feels that he has the right vision for being Hokage and that his years away and what he has seen and done give him a unique perspective that could make him a good Hokage. Unfortunately, there is more to being Hokage than just a good vision. The people have to have faith in you and our allies have to feel that they can trust your word and know that if betrayed you have the strength and power to respond." She smiles ruefully at the last part. "He has the last part down at least, but it will take a long time for the people to trust him and maybe never for our allies. He just has too many negatives working against him at the moment and in this fragile time of peace between our nations we have to nurture what we have accomplished like a newborn child."

"I need the two heroes of the war to be unified. If a fight between those two boys were to erupt, then any chance of the Uchiha being accepted fully as members of this village and potential goodwill with the other nations might go up in smoke around the desolation their fight will create. And she isn't helping the situation either." Both men know that the 'she' the Hokage is talking about is Sakura, and Naruto's not so secret love for the girl, whose heart has always belonged to the troubled Uchiha.

"Now that he is back and expressed feelings for her she seems more determined than ever to finish saving Sasuke and to mold him into whatever ideal person she imagined he could be when they were growing up." Tsunade rubs her temples for a moment before continuing. "I had hoped that after meeting other Uchiha's that she would see that his aloof nature is just part of being an Uchiha and not some wound that needs healing. Instead she seems to be losing herself and I know you both have seen the changes in Sakura over the last few months. I never thought that I would see that vibrant and confident young woman I trained become so meek and unsure of herself. It's like she has reverted back to the girl I met right after he left the village." Tsunade takes a long drink of her tea and turns to look out the window to try and hide her tears. "I fear that if I don't do something about this situation that I might lose all three of them."

Clearing her throat she turns back to the two men again, resolve replacing her sadness. "That is where you two come into my plans. I have signed the paperwork elevating both boys to the rank of junin for what they both did in ending the war and as part of their path to being Hokage candidates they will each be undertaking a mission for the village. I think the competition will focus both of them and force them to reach their potential. Yes, I am not going to tell Sasuke about the other Kage's threat and hope that given time he came prove them wrong, otherwise he might just go rogue right now and start the whole mess we just endured all over again."

"Kakashi, I will be assigning Sasuke to travel with Karin, Jugo, and your team to visit the other allied nations and some of the other smaller nations to promote peace and alleviate some of the fear that the returned Uchiha clan will certainly produce. Your part in this Kakashi will be to aid in the relations and help the boy learn empathy towards others and be able to express that empathy. The belief that the Uchiha are unstable killing machines needs to be dispelled and a sense that they are humans with the same goals and flaws like anyone else needs to be seeded. You are one of the few people, and the only one outside his clan, that Sasuke has any real respect for and hopefully that will help you in this mission." She hands him a scroll detailing her plan. "You will have time to prepare for this mission because Sasuke will serve out his prison sentence first, which I hope will give him time to reflect and for the anger towards the Uchiha name to diminish. Karin will also be serving out a 6 month sentence for her part as Sasuke's Team Taka. Jugo will be returned to the Land of Iron to serve prison time for his part in the assault on the conference and for escaping. Suigetsu disappeared after the war and is now labeled a wanted criminal and if he tries to make contact he must be detained as part of the treaty."

Kakashi nods, "You may not have seen, but I have been watching Sasuke since after the war ended, when he left the room after his near altercation with Naruto he was clearly weakened by just activating his Sharingan. I believe he over taxed his eyes in the final phase of the battle and three months of rest does not seem to have been enough time for them to recuperate." He leans forward in his chair, "This might be a good thing, or make him desperate and even more dangerous. I accept your assignment and it will give me some time to edit the novel I have been working on for a while."

At the mentioning of a novel Tsunade's eye narrow, but she decides not to peruse the obvious question. "One more thing Kakashi." She reaches over an official looking scroll. "Naruto has given his blessing and officially Uchiha Obito died in the war and the boy on your team is one Uchiha Minato, plus you have been given full guardianship over his wellbeing along with the responsibility of keeping an eye on him. It seems that the Uchiha elders would rather not have one more problem to deal with right now." As Kakashi looks down at the scroll and back up Tsunade is sure that she sees moisture in the corner of his one visible eye.

To keep from crying herself Tsunade turns her gaze. "Yamato, I will be assigning Naruto to leave soon and seek out the remaining bijū and at first help the Stone and Mist Villages in obtaining and training their own jinchūriki. Once that is complete the location and welfare of the remaining four will be a priority. Knowing where they are, and who has them, is a must so that they cannot be used as a weapon, ever again. I have already talked to the Raikage and Bee will be joining your group and they have agreed to let Naruto take the lead in this assignment. I am assigning you this duty in part because your wood style jutsu will be an asset to Naruto if things go wrong and the new jinchūriki start to lose control. Your other role is to mentor the boy and teach him the leadership skills needed to be a junin. He needs to learn patience and to stop and think about a situation before acting, which will be a must if he wants to ever become Hokage."


End file.
